Wild’s Kaprizov Talks Fast Start, Zuccarrello & Summer Preparation in Russian Interview – The Hockey Writers Minnesota Wild Latest News, Analysis & More

The Minnesota Wild had a hot start to the season and are currently the second seed in the Western Conference’s Central Division. Kirill Kaprizov has been one of the top scorers in the league at the start, and it looks like he’s not going to slow down anytime soon. In this translated interview, Kaprizov talked about his fast start, his summer preparation, having Russian players in the Wild lineup, and his trip to Norway to play with Mats Zuccarello in a summer charity game.

*You can read the original talk with Kaprizov in his native Russian, by Igor Rabiner, on Sport-express here.*

The Wild have had an excellent start to the season so far. “We’re playing well defensively,” Kaprizov explains. “We may not be scoring a lot, but we’re solid in the back, and Gus (Filip Gustafsson) and Flower (Marc-Andre Fleury) are doing great. Plus, we’re constantly scoring the first goal in games, which makes it easier. That’s how we’re winning. As for my own play — there’s always room for improvement,” he admits.

Especially at the very start of the season, Kaprizov had way more assists than goals, then he finally started to find the back of the net. “Yeah, this is classic for me at the start of the season — goals come a bit harder,” the forward says. “But I’m glad we’re winning and getting some goals from my line. Just look at how many Zuki (Mats Zuccarello) have already scored! We need to keep playing like this, and I think the goals will come. Just need to drive to the net more, and the goals will follow.”

Kaprizov’s Summer Preparation

Minnesota’s head coach, John Hynes, said that the forward came to training camp in excellent shape. But Kaprizov didn’t change anything in his preparation. “Everything is pretty much the same,” he admits. “This summer, I was even home for a long time, stayed nearly two and a half to three months in Novokuznetsk without going anywhere. Just stayed in my village, Kuzedeyevo, with my parents, with family, all together. I did a bit of training there, kept up with my exercises regularly, and went into town for ice time. About two months before the season started, I went back to Moscow to work out with my trainer at the gym.”

The second half of last season was spectacular for Kaprizov, unlike the first. There, instead, something changed for the Russian forward. “I changed a few things mid-season because I just couldn’t score,” he smiles. “I relaxed a bit, started playing my game, and just enjoyed it. Then everything started to click. But we missed the playoffs.”

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Last season, Kaprizov fell only four points short of hitting 100 for the second time in his career, after totaling 108 points in the 2021-2022 regular season. “Of course, it’s nice to hit a hundred. I think if it weren’t for the injury, I could have done it,” Kaprizov says. “I missed about seven or eight games (around New Year’s) and lost almost a month. But now it’s a new season, and I’m not dwelling on it.”

Russians Are Scoring in Bunches

On the other hand, Nikita Kucherov got a hundred assists in the last regular season. That’s not something that Kaprizov thinks he can achieve. “Kuch is something else,” Kaprizov is impressed. “I’ve talked a lot about that. We’re good friends, and he’s an incredible player. As for me—well, I think I score more goals than assists. But, as you can see, this season it’s been the other way around so far.”

Recently, another long-serving Russian forward hit a milestone when Evgeni Malkin netted his 500^th career goal. “I congratulated him and had a quick chat,” Kaprizov says. But he’s not sure that he can repeat Malkin’s feats. “We’ll see. The main thing is to stay healthy and enjoy hockey. Evgeni was in the NHL by 19; I got here at 23, and my first season was short. You could say I started at nearly 24.”

Nevertheless, Kaprizov is already an experienced NHLer in your fifth season, an alternate captain. Hynes mentioned that the forward has taken on a bigger leadership role not only on the ice but also in the locker room. Although, he still isn’t the most talkative player for the Wild. “I don’t talk a lot, not excessively,” he admits. “Sometimes, but I’m usually calm. We have guys who talk more in the locker room. I’ll quickly discuss something about the game with someone if needed. But as for addressing the whole team, I don’t do it too often. I’m pretty relaxed about it.” He would be, of course, interested in being a captain, as there were multiple talks about it lately. “We have a great captain; everything’s good. I’m happy to have the ‘A.’ It’s nice, but I don’t focus on it too much. The main thing is to prove everything on the ice and lead the team there.”

More Russians on the Wild

Now, there are three Russians on the Minnesota Wild lineup. Marat Khusnutdinov joined at the end of last season, and Yakov Trenin this season. “It’s great to have people to talk to in my native language!” Kaprizov is excited about it. “It’s nice that the three of us can be together, and they’re both playing well. Marat is still young and has everything ahead of him. He played around 20 games last season, and now you can see he’s moving a lot better and playing more confidently. He’s going to keep getting better.”

As the end of Kaprizov’s contract nears (less than two years left), there’s more talk about whether he’ll re-sign with Minnesota or prefer another team with a better shot at the Cup. He’s not ready to think about it just yet, though. “Let’s hold off on the contract talk; I still have two years,” he says. “I have nothing to say about it yet. We’ll see. Right now, I’m just focused on playing hockey since the season’s just started!”

This summer, Kaprizov also went to Norway for a charity game organized by Mats Zuccarello via quite a complicated route: Moscow—Istanbul—Gothenburg, and then a helicopter to Lillehammer. It was not the easiest trip. “Zuki has this game every year. He puts on an amazing event for everyone in Norway, bringing together NHL players—Swedes like Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin, and North Americans like Matt Boldy and (Brock) Faber this year. He does something really special for the fans—10,000 people came to his charity game this year! I decided to go since it’s his last time hosting it. We’re close friends, and I had a visa, so I happily went. We had a fantastic time!” Considering how the season is developing for the Wild, it does look like that adventurous trip to Norway was a lucky one.